Ratatoskr
Ratatoskr is the squirrel who scampers up and down Yggdrasil, carrying insults between the eagle atop and the dragon below. A gossiping go-between, he connects realms and stirs trouble in equal measure.
Story beats
- 1) Atop Yggdrasil, an eagle (with hawk Vedrfolnir) trades barbs with Nidhogg gnawing below.
- 2) Ratatoskr runs messages—often twisted—between them, deepening their feud.
- 3) His movement links branches to roots, hearing news from gods, giants, and the dead.
- 4) Some interpretations cast him as a necessary connector; others, as a chaos-agent delighting in discord.
Context & symbolism
Ratatoskr embodies the power and peril of messenger roles—information shapes conflicts. As a small creature on a cosmic tree, he shows how even minor actors influence great forces.
He also reflects gossip’s double edge: binding realms through communication while risking escalation when words are warped.
Motifs
- Squirrel darting along Yggdrasil
- Insults traded between eagle and dragon
- Messenger as trickster
- Connecting all nine worlds via the tree
Use it in play
- Intercept or alter Ratatoskr’s messages to calm—or inflame—a feud.
- Follow the squirrel to navigate the world-tree’s branches safely.
- Bribe Ratatoskr with nuts or stories to deliver your words to unreachable beings.
- Chase the squirrel bearing a stolen item that traverses realms quickly.